From APnews.com, December 5, 2023, by Jeffrey Collins (Read full article here)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Body camera video of a sheriff’s deputy who was fired and arrested in South Carolina shows him repeatedly punching a man in the head after a car chase. The man is knocked briefly unconscious, and the officer asks after handcuffing him if he enjoyed his nap.
Charleston County deputy James “Hank” Carter III pursued the man in his cruiser for nearly 10 minutes at high speed. The chase continued on foot until the man tripped. He’s seen kneeling with his hands at his side when Carter reaches him in the recording, which was released late Monday.
Carter ordered the man to get down with an expletive and almost simultaneously punches him at least eight times in the head. He handcuffs the man who doesn’t move, then lifts him to his feet and asks “you enjoy that little nap?”
Carter, 39, is white and the 32-year-old man is Black. Twice after getting him in handcuffs, Carter tells another officer “it’s your boy.”
Carter’s lawyer said there was no racist component to the arrest. The deputy had arrested the man before and knew he was out on bond for being a felon in possession of a weapon, among other charges, his statement said.
When the man’s hands were at his waistband, Carter had to make a split second decision to protect himself and others and chose to use his hands instead of a Taser or more dangerous methods, and stopped as soon as he realized the threat had passed, attorney Joseph Cannarella added.
“Deciding what force is reasonable and necessary is quite different to that officer compared to someone analyzing a video on the news from the confines of their office or home. Officers don’t work under armchair reflections,” Cannarella said.
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